Program Overview

Overview of the Russian and Politics Program

The Russian and Politics program at Queen Mary University of London is a four-year degree that combines two distinct areas of interest. This program is jointly taught by the School of the Arts and the School of Politics and International Relations, offering students a unique opportunity to develop high-level Russian language skills and gain insight into the workings of today's globalized world.

Program Structure

• The program is divided into four years, with the third year spent studying or working in a Russian-speaking country.
• Students will divide their time equally between Russian language and politics, with the flexibility to tailor their degree with a wide choice of modules.
• The program includes core modules in written and spoken Russian, as well as the exploration of Russian culture, politics, society, and history.
• Students will also engage with political theories, ideas, and ideologies, governments, and institutions, and comparative politics.

Year 1

• Compulsory modules:
  • Culture and Language
  • Thinking Politically
  • Russian language module (streamed according to entry level)
• Students will take one of the following module combinations:
  • Political Analysis
  • Politics in Action and Background to British Politics
  • Politics in Action and Global Histories

Year 2

• Compulsory modules:
  • Russian II
  • Modern Political Thought 1
• Students will choose from a range of modules, including:
  • British Politics
  • Colonialism, Capitalism and Development
  • International Relations Theory
  • Modernity: Theories of State, Economy and Society
  • Politics of International Law
  • Power and Legitimacy in British Politics
  • Power in Global Governance
  • The International Politics of Security
  • The International Politics of the Developing World
  • US Politics
  • War in World Politics

Year 3

• Year abroad: Students will spend their third year studying or working in a Russian-speaking country, such as Latvia, immersing themselves in the language and society.

Year 4

• Compulsory module:
  • Russian III
• Students will choose from a range of modules, including:
  • Contemporary Post-Soviet Documentary
  • American Politics, Carceral State and Social Movements
  • Global Politics of Health and Disease
  • Justice in a Global City
  • Nationalism and Ethnicity in International Relations
  • Parliamentary Studies (Internship)
  • Political Violence and Liberal Modernity
  • Race and Racism in World Politics
  • The Politics of the Post-Colonial Middle East
  • US Foreign Policy

Teaching and Learning

• Students will receive approximately 16 hours of weekly contact time, in the form of lectures, seminars, and language classes.
• For every hour spent in class, students will complete a further two to three hours of independent study.
• Assessment typically includes a combination of written exams and coursework, a final-year dissertation, independent projects, and creative journals.

Entry Requirements

• A-Level: Grades BBB at A-Level.
• IB: International Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum of 30 points overall, including 5,5,5 from three Higher Level subjects.
• BTEC: See detailed subject and grade requirements.
• Access HE: We consider applications from students with the Access to Higher Education Diploma.
• GCSE: Minimum five GCSE passes including English at grade C or 4.
• EPQ: Alternative offers may be made to applicants taking the Extended Project Qualification.
• Contextualised admissions: Our standard contextual offer is BCC, and our enhanced contextual offer is CCC.

Funding

• UK students accepted onto this course are eligible to apply for tuition fee and maintenance loans from Student Finance England or other government bodies.
• Queen Mary offers a generous package of scholarships and bursaries, which currently benefits around 50 per cent of our undergraduates.
• Scholarships are available for home, EU, and international students.

Careers

• Russian and Politics graduates are highly employable, with invaluable political knowledge and research, analytical, and communication skills that open doors to a huge variety of roles.
• Recent Russian and Politics graduates have been hired by:
  • Amnesty International
  • British Council
  • House of Commons
  • Labour Party
  • PwC
  • UK Home Office

About the Schools

• The School of the Arts combines innovation, discovery, and excellence in education and research in Drama, Film, Modern Languages, English & Comparative Literature, Creative Writing, Linguistics, and Liberal Arts.
• The School of Politics and International Relations is a growing school invested in high-quality teaching, with a friendly and informal approach. Our staff are active researchers with diverse interests, from British politics to the Middle East.